Thanks for the comment, I'll "read" a container of Lucas when once again, I'm allowed to walk in an auto parts store and not just have to be waited on while in the parking lot like in a drive-in restaurant. Thanks everyone, JEFF...............


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

More stories about oil. We all seem to agree with the use of Zinc in our oils. Has ever anyone of you thought about valve spring pressure and it’s roll in this. Most stock engines of this era had about 70 psi and less over time.

My son and I have 2 different style racing engines with flat tappet cams and a minimum of 130 psi on the seat. One cam is steel the others (more than one) are cast iron. Neither one of use has ever lost a cam or lifter and both of us have never used an additive with an oil change. I’ve never added anything even in start up with my steel cam and use Mobil 1. My son uses 15-40 scrubron Delo and new cams get the standard assembly lube on the bearing surfaces and Isky lube on the lobes. Breakin procedures are followed but not with lighter springs.

My last oil change on my 56 Y-292 I bought Lucas 10-30 hot rod oil for the first time all has been well but I would expect nothing different.

Most of the time I overthink everything. Any thoughts? Good luck...

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

I agree, on all my stuff I run standard motor oil (engine oil?) and yes I run higher spring pressure (110 on the seat) most of the time Mobil 1 10/30, I may switch to Amsoil, also I have never installed hard seats in the cylinder heads (save for my supercharged bird).

PS Dry Lakes Racer, do I see your car at the doughnut shop in Huntington Beach?

Good food for thought. It's always more interesting to hear real world testimonial. I think if ALL conditions are correct, like, metallurgy, finish, proper lobe rake, proper crowning, proper heat treating, clearances  etc. etc. etc., quality oil out of the bottle will work. It's the horror stories of folks wiping out cams that has me assuring there is adequate zinc/phophorus in the oil. After all, even if it isn't needed, for little to no effort, why not?  I will add, looking at the Valvoline specification site, the racing oil, VR1, has close to double the zinc phophorus as  Valvoline conventional motor oil. It's probably more a marketing effort that anything else. Or, that marketing may be to target drag vehicles for the VR1, like, not being intended for emission vehicles.  I could probably get by with most any oil in my mild build, but when the valve seat pressure goes way up as reported above, then it becomes more interesting. Stay safe, JEFF............................


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

Cliff, If it’s a Peacock blue and White with Torque Thrusts then yes it’s mine. I’ve only missed one since this China Virus started. I’ve got the battery home from our 39 Indian and it might be there this Saturday.

Dearborn, I can’t imagine why but on one of the forums I followed someone posted Valvoline Racing was not good for the street. Can’t remember why but it may have been a longevity deal. I also read somewhere that ZDDP additives will separate over time..so much BS on the net it’s hard to separate the pepper from the fly s**t....

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

I have never lost a cam in one of my engines and I have used every brand of oil you can name.  I have probably built two dozen engines in my life, ninety percent of the them had solid lifter cams.  I did see a bad cam once in a neighbor's scruby engine.  Given that, one can see how there could be so many different opinions on oil.  I suspect bad cams happen due to poor installation, incorrect break in procedure or from using used lifters.  If the cam in my TBird wore out, it would mean I would have to remove the engine, turn it upside down, buy another cam and a set of expensive lifters  I will do anything to keep that from happening.  If I had to, I would use $50 a quart oil. 

I only mentioned Valvoline VR1 because of the vast amount more of zinc it contains, like, just for information. I too read somewhere not to use "racing oil" in street vehicles due to short oil life.  Of all the engines I built, I lost one cam due to no crown on a new lifter. Something very easy to check, a hard lesson learned thousands of years ago. But back in those days, I believe ZZDP was part of oil formulation. Fast forward to now days and modern synthetic technology,  I wonder how necessary this is, except for the purpose of initial break-in. I have to laugh, years ago when I owned, flew and maintained an aircraft, we had these exact discussions about the same exact thing only we called it "hangar flying."  Many brands of aviation oil all claiming to be the best thing since sliced bread and yes, there are snake oils offered for aircraft use also.


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

All oils are formulated differently for different application. When cams started going flat the hi performance cam manufactures blamed the lack of ZDDP in the oil rather then their off shore made cam and lifter blanks. And with a combination of heavy valve springs it was a disaster. I can't remember ever seeing any one with a stock Y loosing a cam, and if they did it was probably from a reason other then oil. Any oil today, even the worst ones have more PPM then the oils of the 50-60s and we didn't lose cams back then. Racing oils aren't formulated for street use, run a race dump the oil, they lack detergents and other chemicals that are formulated into street oils. Some rocket scientist decided that with the panic of less ZDDP that diesel oil would be good to use. Have you ever seen what the high detergents in diesel oil do to cast iron cams, lifters and cranks? They can formulated this way because diesels have steel cams, lifters and cranks..
I personally just use Valvoline 10-30 conventional in all my 50-60 cars and I have never had a problem after countless miles..

In the mid 60s I freshened up (hone, rings, bearings, chain) a junkyard 57 Merc 312 to put in my 48 Tudor. That engine didn't have many miles on it but the cam had heavy wear and galling. I was a college student with no money to spare so I pulled cams from used 57 y blocks and every one of them was shot! I gave up and went to a Ford dealership and bought a replacement cam and lifters cheap, 246* duration I believe. A month or so later a friend offered me a new 290* "blower cam" and a pair of G heads with big exhaust valves that turned out to be 56 intakes for $25. I changed cams without changing lifters.
 I bored the block .060 and installed 1/4' deflector pistons in the late 70s. The cam and lifters were perfect. I was using Kendall GT oil. After break in on 30wt ND I used 20/50 VR1 for a few years before switching to Mobil 1 15/50. I have dual valve springs and I don't remember the specs, but the cam is still good judging by the valve lash not changing.
I also have read bad things about ZDDP additives. Who knows?





"FREE SAMPLE"

I think many of these issues may have been true only at the time of discovery. Change one thing with the chemistry or metallurgy and undesirable issue crops up. Then the chemists go back to the drawing board and fix it. An example of this was when Shell Oil tweaked the formula by adding more phophates to their aviation oil, elevated copper levels suddenly appeared in everyone's oil analysis reports. I am remembering this from about 25? years ago. The point is, Shell was quick to address the problem but sometimes past issues never die.  A problem is discovered then corrected but the legend lives on forever.


64F100 57FAIRLANE500